Bill Graham (promoter)
Bill Graham (born Wulf Wolodia Grajonca; January 8, 1931 – October 25, 1991) was a German-American impresario and rock concert promoter.
Bill Graham | |
|---|---|
Bill Graham, circa 1990 | |
| Born | Wulf Wolodi Grajonca January 8, 1931 |
| Died | October 25, 1991 (aged 60) Near Vallejo, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Helicopter crash |
| Other names | Uncle Bobo |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, musical impresario |
| Years active | 1960s–1991; his death |
| Organization | Bill Graham Presents |
| Spouse | Bonnie MacLean (divorced) |
| Children | 3, including 1 stepchild |
In the early 1960s, Graham moved to San Francisco, and in 1965, began to manage the San Francisco Mime Troupe. He had teamed up with local Haight Ashbury promoter Chet Helms to organize a benefit concert, then promoted several free concerts. This eventually turned into a profitable full-time career and he assembled a talented staff. Graham had a profound influence around the world, sponsoring the musical renaissance of the 1960s from its epicenter in San Francisco. Chet Helms and then Graham made famous the Fillmore and Winterland Ballroom; these turned out to be a proving grounds for rock bands and acts of the San Francisco Bay area including the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin, who were first managed, and in some cases developed, by Helms.